Worthington Street Planning Project

Worthington Street Planning Project

Worthington Street, Springfield, MA

Through the efforts of the Mayor and the City's Chief Development Officer Kevin Kennedy, Columbia Gas of Massachusetts/NiSource has provided a $200,000 grant to DevelopSpringfield to support a comprehensive redevelopment plan for the area impacted by the November 2012 Gas Explosion together with neighboring commercial and residential blocks.

DevelopSpringfield worked with the planning and architectural firm Utile, Inc. together with a steering committee comprised of City Officials, the Springfield Redevelopment Authority, the Downtown BID, neighborhood representatives and other stakeholders to address land use issues, infrastructure and redevelopment alternatives that address the Worthington Street area's challenges while leveraging key assets such as the Union Station improvements now underway. 

The area, recently rebranded as the City’s Innovation District, was selected by MassDevelopment as one of ten Transformative Development Initiative Districts in late 2014 making it eligible for targeted grant funds and dedicated staff support.